


LIVEWIRE

by boneshrine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon, Fluff, Kalos Region, M/M, there's swearing but i'm still tagging it as general audiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 08:36:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14891201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneshrine/pseuds/boneshrine
Summary: Okay, maybe being unable to beat the Lumiose City gym isn't theworstthing ever.





	LIVEWIRE

**Author's Note:**

> prompt 130. thank you to whoever prompted this, i never knew i needed this au in my life, now i can't stop thinking about it
> 
> really big shout-out to the mod(s), i very love you

"Couldn't stay away, huh?"

Jongdae's teeth glint in the flashing lights of the rink border and the floor panels. Everything is so . . . bright. Annoyingly so. Sehun is convinced that the lights are meant to distract pokemon, and that's the real reason why Sehun keeps losing.

"I need that Voltage Badge," Sehun insists, stepping up onto the rink. He withdraws his first pokeball from its sheath on his belt and widens his stance.

The Plusle and Minun on Jongdae's shoulders giggle. In the two previous battles Sehun challenged Jongdae to, Jongdae didn't call them to fight, explaining that they were just there "to observe," although he didn't explain why. Maybe they're really only there to draw attention to Jongdae's arms, which is stupidly redundant, because Jongdae thus far has only ever worn muscle tanks. His arms are almost as distracting as the damn flashing lights.

God, Sehun hates this gym. It is probably _the worst_ gym in all of Kalos. The fact that the gym leader is gorgeous as hell is the only redeeming feature about it.

"Are you ready to try again?"

Jongdae will send out Electabuzz first. For some awful reason, it knows Psychic. He hadn't known that Electabuzz could even learn Psychic, but his Pokedex had confirmed that night that it was eligible to learn it as a TM. Stupid. Sehun has learned that Roselia isn't able to last long against it, so he's changed up his party order once again for his third challenge against the Lumiose City gym leader.

"I sure am. Riolu, I choose you!"

+++

So, it turns out that Jongdae's Pikachu knows Signal Beam, which isn't fucking fair _at all._

It completely takes Sehun's Espeon out of the equation. Between the strength of Jongdae's pokemon, these unexpected super effective attacks, and a gratuitous amount of Volt Switch, Jongdae obliterates Sehun's entire party using only Pikachu and Electabuzz. Again. He still hasn't even touch his third, still latched on the studded belt slung low on his hips, and Sehun dreads finding out what it is.

"You lasted longer than last time," Jongdae says at the end, sounding more impressed than patronizing, to Sehun's relief. Sehun wants to be mad at his third loss in a row, but then Jongdae smiles, and the kittenish curl of his mouth looks like that of Baekhyun's sleepy Purrloin, and Sehun can't find it in himself to be mad at all.

"Yeah, I guess," Sehun huffs, looking away. That smile is going to make him say stupid stuff if he keeps staring at it, something like _Your smirk is so hot but your smile is so cute how do you do that_ or _Your arms are more distracting than these stupid lights_ or _Can I_ please _take you out to dinner._

"Can I take you out to dinner?"

Sehun has a miniature panic attack, thinking that he really did say that last one out loud, but then he realizes that that wasn't his voice, and actually, that sounded a lot like Jongdae. And, sure enough, Jongdae looks like he's waiting for an answer. "I mean, I feel bad about putting you through the wringer. You're a good trainer, you know? Let me make it up to you."

Sehun is a little relieved and a bit more disappointed that Jongdae doesn't mean it as a date. "Okay," he tentatively says. Jongdae's resulting smile almost knocks Sehun off his feet. This must be what being hit with a Sweet Kiss feels like.

Jongdae lets his trainers know that he's heading out for the evening, so they close down Prism Tower and bid them a good night. He hadn't been lying when he'd told Sehun that he had lasted longer than before; the sky had been only just yellowing when he went in, but now, it was pink and orange and navy.

"I have to go to the pokemon center before we go anywhere," Sehun says. "I can . . . meet you somewhere?"

Jongdae waves his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Nah, I'll walk with you." He smiles again, and, fuck, he really has to stop doing that while looking straight at Sehun. It's really not fair.

"Okay," Sehun mumbles, turning on his heel.

Jongdae doesn't return his Plusle and Minun to their pokeballs, instead letting them continue to cling to their perches on his shoulders. Occasionally, one of them, but usually both, will suddenly leap down and dart away into the crowd. Sehun frets at first, but Jongdae is unconcerned, and they always return within a minute or two to climb right back up.

"Why don't you keep them in their pokeballs?" Sehun finally asks. He's been mostly quiet throughout the walk, letting Jongdae take over the conversation. Sehun is quiet in general, but he's afraid of embarrassing himself in front of Jongdae.

Jongdae reaches up to pet his fingers over both Plusle's and Minun's cheeks at the same time, and they look delighted enough that Sehun, for a moment, wishes he could be a pokemon if it meant Jongdae would pet him, too. "They get snappy with me when I let them out again and won't listen," Jongdae says, his exasperation belying his fondness. "Plus, they were my first electric type pokemon. In some aspects, _they_ were the ones that trained _me._ Keeping them in their pokeballs feels weird at this point."

Okay, so they're not to redirect attention to his arms. Sure.

Sehun nods and goes quiet again, having spent all of his bravery on that one question. Jongdae doesn't seem to mind, filling up the silence with his own chatter, his own laughter at his pokemon's antics. At the pokemon center, he jovially gossips with Nurse Joy as she takes Sehun's pokemon and deposits them into the healing station. 

Jongdae doesn't take Sehun to an actual restaurant. Instead, he leads him to a crepe stand, and Sehun is relieved; sitting outside is less stifling and romantic than a formal dine-in. There are more things to look at, and Plusle and Minun can stay out of their pokeballs, giving Jongdae another thing to focus on.

It's all really, really good until Jongdae gets whipped cream on his upper lip and it's so cute and Sehun has a hard time breathing.

". . . hun?"

Sehun short-circuits. "Uh . . . what?"

Jongdae tilts his head. "I asked you about your Riolu. How long have you had it?"

"Oh. Uh." _Words, Sehun! You have them! Use them!_ "Not for very long? I traded for him in Coumarine City right after earning the Plant Badge."

"Oh, so you just got him," Jongdae says. "That explains it. He's pretty high-leveled for a Riolu, so I wondered if you were actively preventing him from evolving or if you just haven't had him for very long."

Sehun nods, not knowing how to continue the conversation. He misses Baekhyun, who has the magical abilities of interpreting Sehun's shy mumbles into real words and talking enough to strangers that Sehun doesn't have to. But Jongdae doesn't seem to have a problem picking up the slack, switching the conversation to something easier, gently prying Sehun back out of his shell.

Minun finally points out the whipped cream on Jongdae's mouth while Plusle cackles. Jongdae playfully flicks Plusle's tail before his tongue darts out to lick at the cream. Sehun is going to actually die. The blood rush up to his head is fierce enough that he gets dizzy.

Jongdae looks at him concernedly. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little flushed."

"A little flushed" is a very nice way of putting it. "I'm fine," he rasps out before stuffing his mouth with a crepe.

Jongdae's eyes glint, and Sehun swears he sees the corner of his lips twitch, but then it's gone again. "Anyways, I was thinking that you should maybe change out your party? Riolu, Espeon, and Roselia can hold their own pretty well." He graciously doesn't mention that his pokemon can still decimate them. "But your Frogadier and Fletchinder are definitely at a disadvantage here."

"I noticed," Sehun says wryly.

Jongdae laughs. Minun nudges his hand, and he idly starts to stroke between its ears, while Plusle takes advantage of his distraction to steal bits of food off of his plate. "Electric types don't have a lot of weaknesses, so I would suggest looking into pokemon with higher defense. A poison or steel type pokemon might be worth your time."

"Why are you helping me?" Sehun belatedly realizes how accusatory that sounds, and scrambles to explain, "Not that I don't appreciate it! it's just, I've never had a gym leader try to help me beat them—well, actually, I've never lost this many gym battles at all, so—" Oh, crap, it's either two-word sentences or veritable word vomit, Jongdae is going to think he's a loser and leave.

Instead of leaving, Jongdae says sincerely, "I want you to win, Sehun. Like I said, you're a good trainer. You deserve the Voltage Badge, so I'm trying to help you get it."

How is this guy even real? "You could always just . . . give it to me." Then he could stop making a fool of himself every time he sees Jongdae.

There's a small zap against Sehun's fingers, and he pulls back with a hiss of what's more surprise than pain. Plusle scampers back out of reach, retreating to Jongdae's shoulder, while Minun chortles. Sehun realizes he's just been rebuked.

"I want to help you _earn_ it," Jongdae laughs, "not just let you win! Come on, Sehunnie, I believe in you!"

Sehunnie. Jongdae is _nicknaming_ him. Can a hole please open up underneath him so Jongdae can't see how red his face is.

That night at the hotel, Baekhyun calls Sehun. "Where are you? I just got to Laverre City and the receptionist here says that she hasn't seen you come by?"

"I'm . . ." Sehun swallows. "Still in Lumiose City." He has let his pokemon out for a chance to stretch out their limbs. He gives special attention to Frogadier and Fletchinder, guilty about how they keep suffering one-hit KO moves whenever he challenges Jongdae. At least the others can last a few turns. They don't seem cross with him, though; Fletchinder chirrups happily when Sehun curls his fingers under its chin, and Frogadier's eyes close when Sehun strokes its head, a mix of a purr and a croak vibrating in its chest.

He loves his pokemon so much.

"Lumiose?" Baekhyun shrieks, and Sehun really loves his best friend, but why is he always so loud? "Sehun, you've been there for like. Weeks." It's only been a little over 2 weeks, but Sehun doesn't say that. "Why are you still there?"

"The gym leader is kicking my ass."

"You can't beat _Jongdae?_ " Baekhyun says as if it's supposed to be the easiest thing in the world.

"Electric types are a pain in the ass, okay," Sehun defends. "Fucking. _Volt Switch._ And every time I think I'm actually going to get somewhere, his Pikachu _mauls_ me, Baek. You'd think it'd be the big, scary Electabuzz, but, nope, it's the fucking yellow rodent that hands my ass to me on a platter."

"You just need a pokemon with high defense! Yeah, he spams Volt Switch like no one's business, but you just need a pokemon that can withstand a bit of a beating."

Sehun's eyes cross and he throws himself back on the bed. "Not all of us are lucky enough to visit Sinnoh for a vacation and come back with a Pineco."

"Ha, yeah, I did get lucky with that one," Baekhyun snickers proudly, knowing full well that his Forretress is probably the most well-defended pokemon either of them have ever met. Ridiculous.

"Whatever. Jongdae already told me to go find a poison or steel type pokemon to add to my party, too."

"A gym leader gave you advice on how to beat his gym?"

"Uh . . . yeah." Now that Sehun is thinking about it, that is sort of weird, isn't it?

But that isn't what garnered Baekhyun's attention, because he's pressing again in that smarmy little voice he gets when something catches his interest. "That's awfully nice of him, isn't it? He certainly never did that for _me,_ and it took me two tries to beat him, too, until Pineco evolved."

"He only took me out to dinner and gave me advice because he feels _bad_ for me," Sehun insists.

"He took you out to dinner?!" Baekhyun screeches, and Sehun almost drops the phone.

"God, Baek," Sehun says, and he can't hold it back anymore, he has to vent before his feelings explode like he's a Voltorb that's just learned Self Destruct. "He wears those muscle tanks and shows off his arms and his smile is so fucking cute and he called me _Sehunnie,_ Baek, what do I _do—_ "

Baekhyun crows delightedly like the horrid gremlin child he is. "Holy shit, this is _fantastic._ "

+++

Sehun challenges Jongdae one more time and is subsequently defeated one more time before he realizes that, yeah, he really needs to switch up his party. Jongdae takes him out to ice cream and smiles at him prettily and finds excuses to touch him, and Sehun is really going to fall in love with him at this rate and it's going to suck because Baekhyun's going to laugh at his expense, much like he is now over the phone.

"Did you bite the dust again?" Baekhyun says. "Which was it? His cute little Pikachu or his _cute little smile?_ "

"I'm hanging up on you," Sehun declares, but doesn't, because _bites the dust_ makes him think, duh, _ground types._ Ground types are _immune_ to electric type attacks. A ground type pokemon won't be invulnerable or anything because Jongdae's pokemon know more than just electric type moves, but it would definitely be the leg up Sehun is in desperate need of.

He gets kind of crispy at Baekhyun for not suggesting it. Jongdae bringing up the idea is more understandable—he said himself that he wanted to help Sehun, not let him win. He's also kind of judging himself for not remembering a simple fact like "ground beats electricity."

After letting his pokemon take a well-deserved rest, he sets off to Route 9.

All in all, catching Sandile is kind of underwhelming. He's seen the cool, powerful Krookodiles, how they casually demand all the attention in a room. Sandile is, on the other hand, small, twitchy, and its beady eyes are a little creepy. But as Sehun starts training with it, he finds out that it has a persistent personality and a mean Bite. It grows on him fast. Baekhyun's always teased him on how quickly he becomes attached to pokemon, especially ones he doesn't plan on keeping for a long time, but Baekhyun is stupid and is also the same way.

Sandile is a dual ground and dark type pokemon. That means not only is it immune to Jongdae's electric attacks, but also resistant to his Electabuzz's Psychic.

This is so good. Sehun's pumped.

+++

Getting Sandile to the same level as the rest of his team isn't something that's going to happen overnight, and Sehun finds himself leaving Lumiose City every day to go out into the field to train. Sandile is patient and sturdy, and each successful battle gives Sehun more faith that next time, he'll be able to beat Jongdae.

But Sandile's knowledge of ground-type moves is limited to only Mud-Slap, and beyond that, its dark-type moves are more damaging, even with type effectiveness taken into consideration. Sandile will be able to resist electric-type pokemon, but won't be able to do a lot of damage as things currently stand. Sehun doesn't have any ground-type TMs in his bag right now, but he's pretty sure he saw one at the South Boulevard pokemart. He wishes he had looked closer at all of them. He had been distracted by the 50,000 pokedollar signs sitting in front of the Sunny Day and Rain Dance and had shied away before inspecting the other TMs for sale.

Hopefully the ground type TM isn't as expensive, otherwise Sehun's wallet is going to hurt. He returns Sandile to its pokeball and heads back into Lumiose City.

With the lunch hour drawing close, the city is bustling during this time of day, and Sehun has to dodge Gogoat and bike traffic, worm his way through food stands and the equally stagnated tourists.

There's a surprised shout, and the voice is familiar, so Sehun whips his head around to watch just as it happens.

Streaks of orange and blue—Plusle and Minun, respectively, Sehun's mind supplies—crash into Jongdae, who had been carrying multiple plastic bags, which are now spewed across the pavement. Jongdae falls down beside them, Plusle and Minun still clinging to his shoulders, landing on his rear and only just barely managing to snap out his hands to keep his upper body from slamming down too.

There's a furious growl, followed by two black canine pokemon skulking forward, bodies low and teeth displayed. Jongdae scrambles backwards, his Plusle and Minun disoriented enough that they get in his way, and that's when the Houndours charge.

Sehun doesn't even think about it. He reaches for Riolu's pokeball and casts it at the same time he bellows, "Riolu, use Force Palm!"

Riolu is fast normally, but especially now, sensing the distress in all of the aura, there seems to be no time at all between the moment it materializes and the destructive wave of its Force Palm.

The attack strikes across the center of both Houndours, stopping them in their tracks. One snarls at Riolu, but the other is already turning tail and tripping over its own feet in its rush to get away, and the first follows it after giving Sehun and Riolu a vicious glare.

There's a beat of silence, and then Plusle and Minun both break into upset tears, grappling for Jongdae's attention as he struggles to right himself. Sehun surges forward, dipping down to help Jongdae up with steady hands on his shoulders and back.

"What the _hell,_ " Jongdae says, winded. "Are you—is everyone okay?" He puts a firm palm over each of his pokemon, inspecting both of them for any wounds. Aside from their obvious anxiety, they both seem fine.

"Are _you_ okay?" Sehun asks. Riolu steps close to Sehun and leans against his leg. It must be overwhelmed by the intensity of the aura around it. Sehun gently strokes behind its ear to try to calm it.

Jongdae lets out a shaky laugh. "I . . . think so? What . . . Plusle, Minun." He fixes the two pokemon in his stare, his voice going hard. "Were you bothering the Houndours? Is that why they chased you?"

Plusle shrinks in on itself, pulling its ears and tail close to its body, while Minun hides its face against Jongdae's arm. Jongdae sighs. "Kids, you can't just do that, I've told you a hundred times. Not all pokemon like to play like you do!" It's genuine frustration that puckers Jongdae's eyebrows, but it's tempered by the worry in the moue of his mouth. He turns to Sehun. "Sehun, thank you so much. We would've been in a lot of trouble if you and Riolu weren't there."

Riolu dips its head at the praise, either as means of acknowledgement or just Riolu being shy and trying to hide its face, Sehun doesn't know. But Sehun is immediately shaking his hands in front of himself. "No, it's. It's fine. We just . . ."

"Why don't you come with me back to my place?" Jongdae says. He bends over to start collecting his bags and their upended contents, which, Sehun can see now, mostly include groceries, vegetables, a few packs of tofu, and lots and lots of berries. "I was planning on lunch. Let me feed you as thanks."

"I-it's really, like, not a problem." No, what's more of a problem now is that Jongdae's butt looks really, really cute in those black jeans, and the bigger problem is that Sehun notices this as a problem, but the biggest problem of all happens when Jongdae turns around and _catches him staring._

Jongdae grins, maybe at Sehun's gawking, maybe not. Either way, he doesn't mention it. Instead, he says, "Aw, come on, Sehunnie, I haven't seen you since we went out last week! Give me an excuse to catch up with you."

Sehun blinks. Has it really been a week? If so, this is the longest he's gone without challenging Jongdae since coming to Lumiose City. But he did Fly way out to Ambrette Town to go out onto Route 9 to catch his Sandile, and then walked all the way back to Lumiose City as training. And he hasn't even stepped foot into Prism Tower since coming back.

So Sehun agrees, recalling Riolu and, in a moment of daring, relieving Jongdae of two of his bags. Their fingers touch, and Sehun almost drops the bag. Jongdae's grin is dazzling.

"So," he says as they begin walking. Plusle and Minun don't scamper away like the last time Jongdae and Sehun walked together like this. Plusle, uncharacteristically demure, is clamped on Jongdae's shoulder, while Minun has found the perfect position against Jongdae's neck to fall asleep in, exhausted from all of the excitement. "What have you been doing the past few days? I missed you. The other challengers aren't nearly as fun as you."

Sehun feels his ears burning. What does that even mean, not as "fun" as him, that Jongdae _missed_ him. "I've been training."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sehun can see Jongdae's grin, sharp and pleased. "Did you follow my advice?"

"Kind of." Not about getting a pokemon with high defense, but he _did_ add a new feature to his party. Sandile's strength lies in its speed and attack; its defenses leave something to be desired, but being a ground type will give it a huge type advantage, and hopefully that's enough to beat Jongdae.

Jongdae lives in a high-rise bordering Magenta Plaza. Sehun awkwardly shuffles behind him as they enter the building, and though the elevator is fast, it's small, and they have to press against each other all the way up. Jongdae doesn't seem to have a problem with it. Sehun, on the other hand, is a second away from a Jongdae-induced mental breakdown.

Once back in the safety of their home, Plusle darts away, chortling happily, while Minun remains tucked into the crevice between Jongdae's neck and shoulder, its tail drooping down his back. "Thanks for carrying those," Jongdae says. "You can set them on the counter. I'll put them away."

Sehun does, and then, for lack of anything else to do, goes to sit at the table in the far corner of the kitchen. Jongdae chatters as he puts the groceries away, talking about his recent challengers, the gym gossip, and the latest antics of his Plusle and Minun.

"Why don't you battle with them?" Sehun asks. It's something he's wondered since his first challenge.

Jongdae now has his ingredients for lunch all spread out across his counter. He puts a frying pan on the stove top, adding some oil and turning it on to heat. "They're too strong," he says as he pulls out a cutting board from one of his cupboards. "I've trained with them for so long that they've become more powerful than the level that trainers are recommended to be to earn the Voltage Badge."

"I wouldn't have guessed it," Sehun says. At that moment, Plusle comes bounding in. It looks at Jongdae, nose twitching, as he expertly cuts up vegetables, and seems to decide to leave him alone. Instead, it turns towards Sehun for a split second before vaulting into his lap. Sehun jolts. Plusle chirps its amusement before curling up on the tops of his legs, folding its ears back and tucking its tail against its body.

Jongdae coos. "So cute," he says, except he's looking at Sehun, not at Plusle. Heat flares in Sehun's face. He clears his throat and looks away, but he thinks he sees Jongdae's shoulders shaking in his peripheral vision.

Lunch is some tofu wrap. It's simple, but delicious. Plusle and Minun rouse to munch on the bowl of berries Jongdae sets out for them. Jongdae fills up the silence easily, and Sehun contributes when he can, but he often loses track of his thoughts when Jongdae's full attention is focused on him. At one point, Jongdae's foot rubs against his calf, trying to encourage him to speak. To his mortification, Sehun chokes on a piece of tofu, and Minun consolingly pats his wrist with its tiny paw while Plusle outright laughs at him.

Having met his quota for embarrassing himself for the day, Sehun excuses himself for the afternoon. "Have to go back to training. You know how it is," he says, wringing his hands together as he edges towards the door.

Jongdae follows him, though. "Do you want me to come with you? It can help to have a second opinion when you're training."

Sehun is fast to wave his hands in front of him. "N-no, that's okay!" he says in a rush. "You've already done so much for me, I couldn't—"

Minun comes barreling around the corner, a raucous Plusle on its heels, probably play-fighting, and it plows straight into Jongdae. Jongdae shouts in surprise, lurching forward towards Sehun. Sehun flounders for a moment, but just barely manages to keep them upright, although all of their limbs are crisscrossed, while Plusle tries to climb up after Minun. The two pokemon clamber up and around their tangled bodies, causing them to cringe towards each other to protect their faces.

Minun tackles Plusle off of them, and they roll away before Plusle concedes. Sehun can feel Jongdae's tense body pressed against his, head-to-toe, and freezes in place. After a long moment, Jongdae relaxes, laughing. "I'm so sorry! They're always like this. They—"

He pulls back slightly, enough that their faces are now almost right against each other, their noses a hairsbreadth away as Jongdae looks up and Sehun looks down. Jongdae's eyes darken, and they drop to Sehun's mouth. He tilts closer.

Sehun's blood roars in his ears. Holy crap. Jongdae's going to kiss him. _Jongdae's_ going to _kiss him._

Then Jongdae is stepping away. Sehun's front feels cold, but he can hear normally again, _breathe_ normally again.

"I'll see you later?" Jongdae asks, but his smile is strained. Sehun nods, stomach twisting, and closes the door behind him.

When he gets back out into the field, his hand on Sandile's pokeball, he realizes he never bought the TM, his whole reason for going back into the city.

+++

Sandile evolves into Krokorok. Sehun buys the TM, which turns out to be Bulldoze—it's not Earthquake, but it's better than Krokorok's Mud-Slap, and its power is increased by STAB. Krokorok's confidence is contagious, and that same day, Sehun finds himself striding into Prism Tower, head held high.

"Welcome back," Jongdae purrs. "Oh, someone's confident today. It's an attractive look on you."

Being called out immediately has the opposite effect: Sehun's shoulders curl in, and his head falls a few degrees. He can't tell if Jongdae is teasing him or really means that confidence makes him look good. Jongdae himself looks fantastic today, his muscle tank replaced by a band t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, his jeans as tight as ever. His bracelets draw Sehun's attention to the veins on his hands.

_No,_ Sehun thinks, _we are_ not _here to drool at Jongdae, we're here to beat him!_

"Thanks," Sehun says, trying to force himself to sound calm, maybe even a little cocky. By the way Jongdae's lips curl and his eyebrow raises, he can tell he failed in that aspect. It doesn't matter. "Are you ready?"

"When you are," Jongdae says, popping out a skinny hip and propping his hand on it.

Sehun swallows. He unlatches his first pokeball from its belt, expands it, and then: "Go, Krokorok!"

Krokorok snarls at Jongdae as it comes out, planting its feet far apart and flinging its tail behind it.

Jongdae doesn't look all that impressed. He does smile though. "Oh, Sehun," he says, "didn't you think there was a reason I didn't suggest a ground-type pokemon?"

Sehun isn't quite sure what to make of that.

Jongdae summons Electabuzz first, as usual, and the only attack move it can use against Krokorok is Psychic, which Krokorok easily bides through. Electabuzz can't hold out long against its Bulldoze, and because Bulldoze isn't a contact move, it can't effect Krokorok with its Static ability. Electabuzz is defeated, and Krokorok roars triumphantly.

"Yes!" Sehun cheers.

Jongdae smiles. There's something pitying in his gaze. He doesn't say anything as he casts out his next pokemon.

Sehun is reminded that he's only seen two of Jongdae's three pokemon, and angrily shouts when he finds out what it is.

+++

"Why didn't you tell me your last pokemon is a Lanturn?" Sehun grumbles petulantly later, after Jongdae has offered to take him out to ice cream.

"I would have if you'd asked." Minun not-so-secretly licks one of Jongdae's scoops, and instead of chiding it, Jongdae tilts it so Minun has easier access. "You should have listened to me. What sort of gym leader would I be if I didn't have some sort of safeguard against ground type pokemon?"

Sehun groans and slumps forward, making Jongdae laugh. He smiles down at his ice cream. Even though he lost, spending time with Jongdae is becoming his favorite consolatory prize.

+++

With his party full and with Sehun emotionally attached to all of its members, he can't take Jongdae's and Baekhyun's advice of catching a pokemon with high defense stats. He can't bring himself to replace any of his current team. That means that he's back to training all of his pokemon equally, hoping to overpower Jongdae with his pokemon's strength alone. It's not the best strategy against an experienced trainer, especially not a gym leader, but it's the best he's got right now.

He has Riolu out, battling lower leveled pokemon as they emerge from the grass, when suddenly a low growl rattles the air. Both Riolu and Sehun turn to see two Houndours step out of the tall grass. These can't be the same ones that attacked Plusle and Minun. That would be ridiculous. Except the way that Riolu glances back at him, reading his thoughts, makes him realize that they are.

Then a larger shadow emerges behind them, a wicked snarl on its face and a nasty gleam in its eye. _Houndoom._

"Oh, crap," Sehun says.

Houndoom lunges, and Sehun can't tell if it's going for him or Riolu, but Riolu leaps forward either way, meeting Houndoom's Bite without flinching. "Counter!" Sehun screams, and Riolu grabs Houndoom's head, keeping it from pulling away, before wrenching it around and forcing it against the ground.

"Good job, Riolu!" Houndoom skids back before pivoting sharply, dropping its body down low while opening its maw. Flames begin to outline its teeth. _Fire fang._ "Watch out!"

Riolu glances back at Sehun. Curiously, there's a smile playing at its lips.

As Houndoom charges, Riolu's whole body starts to glow a blinding white. Sehun takes a step back, mouth dropping, and Houndoom freezes, wary of whatever Riolu is doing.

Riolu's form expands, shifts. The light abruptly disappears, and in its wake stands Lucario, releasing a resounding snarl before storming forward. A blue light coats its body, then suddenly releases all at once, slamming into Houndoom and throwing it back. _Aura Sphere._ It's beautiful. It's also super effective, and Houndoom howls as it's thrown back.

The pokemon doesn't back down quite yet. Instead, it barks something to the Houndours, who immediately pounce forward. Sehun realizes what's happening as they close in. "Lucario, they're trying to use Beat Up! Drive them back with Force Palm!"

Lucario whips its palm across the side, releasing its aura with it, and a blue energy slices into Houndoom and the Houndours. The Houndours whine and flee. Houndoom looks like it wants to keep fighting, but when it walks, it stumbles, and it seems to realize it can't fight anymore. It meets Lucario's steely gaze, growling once, but disappears into the tall grass.

Sehun holds his breath for a moment. When he's sure the coast is clear, he lets out a loud whoop and immediately tackles Lucario. "Lucario, that was so great! I'm proud of you! Thank you for evolving!"

Lucario becomes shy, never one to accept praise easily, even as a Riolu, but lets Sehun bring it back to the hotel to celebrate with a yummy glass of berry juice.

+++

Soon after the battle with Houndoom, Lucario learns Bone Rush, and Sehun wants to cry out of relief.

He thinks he can do this. Roselia is resistant to electric type attacks, but weak to Electabuzz's Psychic. Espeon's special attack and speed stats are high enough to compete with electric type pokemon, but is vulnerable to Pikachu's Signal Beam. Electabuzz can't last long against Krokorok, and can't use Volt Switch. Krokorok is weak to Lanturn. Lucario doesn't have any type advantages or disadvantages of itself, but knows a ground-type move. Fletchinder and Frogadier need to be kept out of the fray as much as possible.

It will be tricky, but Sehun has faith in his pokemon.

"You know," says Jongdae as Sehun steps into the gym, "I don't think I want you to beat me anymore. I'm going to miss you if you move on."

All of Sehun's bravado is flushed away. "O-oh."

"You'll have to come visit." Jongdae's teeth look especially sharp today. His smile is almost impish. "For now, I want to see what's making you look so sure of yourself today. Are you ready to battle?"

In lieu of an answer, Sehun casts his first pokemon. "Krokorok, I choose you!"

The battle is hard and harrowing. Krokorok manages to knock out Electabuzz, and when Jongdae summons Lanturn, Sehun withdraws Krokorok and switches in Lucario. Lucario does a great job, and Sehun makes sure Lucario knows it. Jongdae looks pleased with the rapport between them, even when Lanturn is no longer able to battle.

That leaves Pikachu. It lands a rough critical hit on Lucario, taking it out of the match, but Roselia compensates beautifully, landing a Grass Whistle that puts Pikachu right to sleep. Leech Seed and Giga Drain do the rest.

Jongdae retracts Pikachu. Sehun's heart thunders in his chest, and he's part shocked and part elated. After weeks of training, he's finally beaten the Lumiose City gym. Plusle and Minun cheer, and Roselia poses, always one to bask in attention. But Sehun can't focus on any of that, because Jongdae is walking towards him, a small smile in his mouth.

He doesn't stop walking until they're almost toe-to-toe. Sehun's heart thunders harder, but it's from an adrenaline rush of a different kind, now. "Congratulations. As the Lumiose City gym leader, I present to you the Voltage Badge." He presents the badge, a golden, coin-sized shield featuring lighting bolts shooting out of it. Sehun holds out his hand. Jongdae places the badge in Sehun's palm, but immediately clamps his hand around Sehun's wrist, tugging him closer.

"Now," continues Jongdae, "since you've earned your badge, and it's no longer against League rules as a 'conflict of interest,' I'm going to kiss you."

"What?" Sehun says, but then Jongdae follows through with his declaration of intent, curling his other hand around the back of Sehun's neck and tugging him down, tilting his head to get a good angle. Jongdae's mouth is warm and soft, gentle, everything a first kiss should be, and Sehun absolutely melts. He thinks he hears Plusle and Minun squealing in the background, but that might also be his own voice in his head.

Kissing Jongdae is electrifying, just like a Shock Wave or a Thunderbolt or a Thunder Punch or anything else that Sehun's mind can provide, and he feels the zing from his lips down to his toes, making them curl in his shoes. The sensation is only magnified when Jongdae's tongue swipes across Sehun's lower lip.

Sehun thinks he whimpers, hopes he doesn't, but Jongdae laughs enough that they can't kiss anymore, so he probably did. "Um. Wow," Sehun says stupidly.

"You are so obvious," Jongdae says. His smile is so pretty. Sehun wants to kiss it again. "Your ears turn all red every time I even breathe in your direction, did you know that? I was starting to think you were losing on purpose so you could see me."

"I really wasn't." Then he realizes that he basically admitted to being a weak trainer, and he whines in the back of his throat.

"I can see that. You were amazing just now. I didn't know Lucario could learn ground type moves."

"Neither did I," Sehun admits, and Jongdae kisses him again. "What was that about 'League rules?'"

"Can't have any sort of relationship with trainers before they've beaten your gym. 'Conflict of interest' or something like that."

"Doesn't giving me advice count as a conflict of interest, then?"

"Even if it did, it doesn't matter, because you didn't follow it!"

"I thought you were going to kiss me, back then," Sehun says quietly. "Back at your apartment, right before I left."

"I really wanted to," Jongdae says, "and I will again right now if you'll let me."

Sehun gives his answer with his mouth, but not by talking.


End file.
